An Early Recognition of American Independence
First edition of the first Zatta printing of John Mitchell's famed 1755 map of North America. The present atlas, issued in the midst of the American Revolution, comprises a 12 sheet wall map of North America, along with three other maps, published in Venice by Antonio Zatta. The 12-sheet map extends westward to the Mississippi River and the Spanish-controlled territory of Louisiana, and north to the Great Lakes. In addition, the work includes a general map of Canada and the English Colonies, a map of Newfoundland and Cape Breton and a regional map centered on Hudson's Bay. The three other maps depict Canada, Newfoundland and Cape Breton, and Hudson's Bay.
The maps were engraved by Giuliano Zuliani and are notable for their fine execution and printing, including updates such as territories newly relevant to the American War of Independence. Some authorities claim the present work includes the first appearance of the name “United Colonies” on a printed map (here: "Le Colonie Unite Dele America Settentr.le"), which reflects the name used in the Declaration of Independence. This term was not officially replaced until the adoption of the Articles of Confederation, which established "The United States of America."
Raynal (1713-1796), the radical French historian and prominent anti-slavery voice, had gained renown with his Histoire philosophique et politique des établissements et du commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes (1770). He became a fervent supporter of the American revolutionary cause. The oresent work, published in Italy in 1778, presents his early reflections on American independence, several years before the French edition of 1781. The text includes a history of the American colonies, philosophical commentary, and a year-by-year account of the Revolutionary War through 1778, including Italian translations of primary documents, such as the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (pp. 87–89).
The extensive subscriber list bound in the volume is for Zatta’s Atlante novissimo (1775–1785), serves as a kind of advertisement for that work.
Some bibliographers describe this as the "first Italian edition" which is misleading as it is in fact the first edition, preceding the French edition.
A significant American Revolutionary War cartographic publication.
Antonio Zatta (fl. 1757-1797) was a prominent Italian editor, cartographer, and publisher. Little is known about his life beyond his many surviving published works. It is possible that he was born as early as 1722 and lived as late as 1804. He lived in Venice and his work flourished between 1757 and 1797. He is best known for his atlas, Atlante Novissimo (1779-1785), and for his prolific output of prints and books that were both precisely made and aesthetically pleasing. Zatta clearly had a large network from which to draw information; this is how he was able to publish the first glimpse of the islands visited by Captain Cook in the Atlante Novissimo. Zatta also published books of plays and architecture.